CAREER: Fracture Analyses in Concrete via Experimentation & Simulation (FRANCES): Examining Discrete Crack and Fracture Modeling of Concrete Under Blast and Impact Loading

University Of Missouri-Kansas City, Columbia MO

Investigators

Abstract

The research objective of this Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program project is to develop a fracture-constitutive multi-scale model which is able to simulate dynamic fracture in concrete subjected to extreme loadings. The non-linear and fracture behavior of concrete when subjected to dynamic loads such as blast and impact is an increasingly important consideration when designing critical protective structures. To validate the model to be developed, test data collected from a drop tower impact test and blast response data obtained from a shock tube test on reinforced concrete panels will be used. The impact and blast loading tests will be conducted at the US Army Corps of Engineers-Engineering Research and Development Center at Vicksburg, Mississippi. The numerical model will be able to simulate discrete crack initiation without any pre-specifications about the crack path. The numerical model will be implemented in the popular commercial finite element programs ABAQUS and LSDYNA and verified using the project data and other available experimental test data. The behavior of a seven story reinforced concrete structure subjected to blast loading will be simulated and studied. The enhancements to the numerical model will also be utilized in the PI's current study of the mechanical behavior of nano-sized particles such as minerals and collagen fibrils present in dentin and bone. For broader impact and dissemination of the results, the project will develop educational materials for designers and educators. Examples given in Federal Emergency Management Agency Publication 451 will be augmented to include the blast loading case, as specified in ASCE 7 commentary. The research results will also be made available to code writing bodies such as ACI 318 to incorporate the strain rate effects in design provisions. Besides the graduate students, the undergraduate students will also be involved in the project through NSF and the university programs such as SEARCH. Outreach activities with High School students will be incorporated through the NSF funded project ARROWS.